Meet Anda Stafa

We were lucky to catch up with Anda Stafa recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Anda, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

My multi-imposter syndrome crept in during college when I realized I wanted to pursue multiple passions – marketing, acting, and photography – rather than following a singular path. With that goal in mind, I began to feel like a fraud for spreading myself thin across different branches.

In marketing, the doubts hit early and hard. I graduated during the 2020 COVID lockdown and entered an altered landscape. Remote work became the new norm, then I was part of a layoff wave six months into my first post-grad role. The stability I’d envisioned felt elusive and it was tough to shake the feeling of falling behind.

Acting was another challenge. With industry-wide strikes and delays, the career that already felt risky and uncertain became almost impossible to progress. My marketing career kept me stable, but I felt I was losing crucial time in my 20s to pursue acting. I hadn’t been ‘all-in’ to start with, and when the industry stalled, I felt like my post-grad acting roots weren’t even planted.

My film photography was something I kept close to my chest and under the radar. I started a website and rarely promoted it, feeling like the photography industry was already too saturated to make space for me and questioning if my work was worth sharing if I wasn’t monetizing it to prove its value.

Eventually, I realized that if I wanted to taste the fruits of my labor for each pursuit, I had to inject time, care, and self-affirmation into each one. In marketing, time and experience gradually built up my confidence, and I grew into a real sense of expertise. In acting, I fought those feelings of fraudulence by joining acting studios, where immersing myself in the craft and connecting with others reminded me I was part of a community of actors who also had other careers. And my photography found its place too: I reframed it as creating art for passion, not profit – adding a more fulfilling value to it. All in all, I began to embrace being all of these things and accepted that, most of the time, my feelings of fraudulence were self-inflicted.

Each of these branches has taught me that imposter syndrome thrives in the soil of self-doubt and comparison. It’s tough to shake, but I’ve learned not to water it. I now focus on the process, not perfection, and embrace the growth. With each step I take, there’s the promise of fruit. Some days, the fruit is sweet; other days, it’s still ripening. But in time, I know that each of my branches will bear its own sweet delight.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Right now, I’m beyond thrilled to have recently played the lead in “The Trees Still in Brooklyn”, a brilliant narrative short written and directed by Amina Cami. The short film tells the story of Aisha, a young Albanian-American woman who starts to internally battle with her identity during an uncomfortable conversation with friends from college. Aisha works through internalized guilt and suppressed anger over having stifled her cultural identity for years in order to make those around her more comfortable. Her story hits close to home for me – as an NYC-raised Albanian-American myself, I’ve spent my early adulthood reflecting on my identity and how to really embrace my roots.

Bringing Aisha to life and exploring her internal battle on screen really scratched an itch. It was incredibly fulfilling to explore her nuance on screen, and working with such a talented director, cast, and crew made it even more special. “The Trees Still in Brooklyn” is currently in post-production, and I can’t wait for folks to experience it in 2025.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Curiosity – Staying curious and open to new approaches is as essential as the air we breathe. A lack of curiosity can lead to close-mindedness, boredom, and stagnancy. Pairing curiosity with an open mind can be so powerful. There’s something refreshing about approaching life with wonder and inquisitiveness. This mindset has encouraged me to learn just a bit more from every experience, no matter how small. Never stop exploring new subjects, activities, and perspectives. In hindsight, it will have – at the very least – kept things interesting.

Setting Boundaries – This one was passed down to me by a wonderful mentor, and putting it into practice has been empowering. There are certain things I won’t do in any role. My advice is to set the right boundaries that make the most sense for you. They’re meant to be there to be protect your mind, energy, time, and overall health. These look different for every person, and that’s perfectly ok. They’re meant to be a worthwhile form of respect and mindfulness towards yourself, and you’d be surprised how much you can inspire others to do the same for themselves.

And lastly, don’t be afraid to press pause every once in a while.
We all need to slow down from time to time to avoid burnout. Personally, this is the toughest one for me to put into practice. But it’s crucial to know when to take a deep breath and slow things down. The quiet moments have heaps of quality to them – that’s when you recharge, reflect, practice gratitude, or just get to be there in peace for a change.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

I’m an avid reader and I believe that a book’s impact depends on your mindset when it finds you. Some books make it into your lap at precisely the right moment.

I read Persuasion by Jane Austen when I was 20 and the story’s themes resonated with me during a period of self-doubt. At its core, the story may be a romance, but the message I pulled away from it is something I apply more broadly in my life. Anne’s regret over ignoring her gut left me with a lesson I hold close: that discernment and self-trust are essential, even when others have their own ideas of what’s best.

And it would be remiss of me to answer any questions about books without honoring one of my favorites, My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. The book captures essential themes: the importance of friendship and community and the profound impacts of class, sexism, and education on young girls’ development. This stunningly written masterpiece offers an astute look at the complexities of girlhood and growth. It left me in awe – I highly recommend it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.andastafa.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andadasea/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andastafa/
• Other: Actors Access: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/anda-stafa
  IMDb: https://imdb.me/anda-stafa

Image Credits

Film photographs by Anda Stafa
Portraits by Cindy Sung